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The photo of Mount McKinley above was taken
at Wonder Lake
It is a photographers' nature to want every photographic toy
available. However, there are limits as to how much equipment
we can carry at one time. I have been to Alaska several times
and I have always wished I had a panoramic camera with me. Most
quality panoramic cameras are fairly large and heavy. When you
combine the weight of these cameras with some of the heavy lenses
typically used for wildlife, you end up with a camera bag that
wouldn't meet the weight limits of most airlines.
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The photo above shows the fall colors in
Denali National Park
Enter the XPAN. This is a 35mm rangefinder camera from Hasselblad
(with help from Fuji). It's basically a 35mm camera body with
a medium format lens. The XPAN can take both panoramic and regular
35mm pictures on the same roll of film. I picked up an XPAN
about a year ago, and I finally got to try it out in Alaska.
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The photo above was taken from the Denali
park road, overlooking the Toklat River
The XPAN is about the same size (and weight) of a typical 35mm
camera without a motor drive. It's a great option when you want
a quality panoramic camera, and you want to minimize the additional
weight you will be carrying. |
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The photo above was taken near the Savage
River campground in Denali
The XPAN allows you to capture the vastness of the terrain, and
gives the viewer a better sense of the scope of a place. |
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| The photo above shows the cook
shed and some tents at the McNeil River camp ground
Photos taken with the XPAN can also help you document an area
in ways that are not possible with a regular 35mm camera. |
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The photo above shows the famous falls at
the McNeil River Brown Bear Sanctuary
The panoramic photo of the falls at McNeil River, helps the viewer
to understand how the bears congregate at the falls.
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The photo of Mount McKinley above was also taken at Wonder
Lake
Prints made from the larger panoramic cameras,
like the Fuji and Linhof 6x17 cameras, can be printed larger
than those taken with the XPAN because the original slide or
negative is larger. However, prints from the XPAN are incredibly
sharp, even at sizes over four feet wide. In addition, the XPAN
weighs close to 2 pounds (with one lens), while the Fuji 6x17
is around 5 pounds with a lens.
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